Not much is known about the shadowy bomber, the new image of the B-21 Raider recently revealed by the US Air Force is the only hint of the new stealth bomber. The warplane and its capabilities are kept super-secret to keep the details from America's adversaries.
Built by Northrop Grumman as a replacement for the B-2 Spirit, and optimized for the USAF long-range strike bomber force. It is an upgrade for long-distance strike bombing, a part of the nuclear deterrence triad that includes land-based and submarine missiles for striking back.
Bombers have been part of the US offensive forces. With the threat from China, another asymmetrical attack on the missile defenses of the PLA in the South China Sea may happen with defense equipment provided by the stealth Raiders in an offensive.
Until the release of this image of the B-21, there was the only one available depicting the secretive aircraft. It left little for defense analysts to guess things about it.
New strategic bomber
The latest image is different and features are updated on the stealthy delta-wing aircraft. In the background seen in the Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), in California., this new home base of the 420th Flight Test Squadron, reported News Atlas.
Tasked with planning, tests, analysis of the stealth Raider's flight and ground testing is what the 420th does until the plane is pressed into service.
The new image of the B-21 Raider design for review is the engineering and manufacturing phase of the program. This will be important because it deals with how to build the plane, and sourcing the parts from the industrial supply chain, noted ENIDNews.
Other details
Once it passes all trials that will be followed by commissioning in 2027, the new stealth bomber is going to serve with the B-52, B-1 Lancer, and its grandpappy the B-2 Spirit. There are plans to buy 100 of these new stealth bombers to phase out aging and obsolete B-1 and B-2s. This phase-out includes the B-52, if their upgrades are not done by a certain time, cited Aero Mag.
Weapons
The delta-wing bomber is made for dual purpose strikes with non-nuclear or lethal nuclear weapons, as standoff or face-to-face attacks. Another part is the addition of the Long-Range Strike program, with systems that will allow the bomber to blind electronic defenses once it enters enemy territory.
Another is that it can operate autonomously or have pilots, and the systems are all open architecture for future upgrades.
Plane's namesake
One plane costs US$639 million in 2019, the bomber has been named after Doolittle Raiders. They went on a legendary Tokyo Raid on April 18, 1942. This was a group of US Army Air Force aviators. Carrying out this first strike mission was 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers. They did the bombing and was successful.
Its first base will be the Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB), in South Dakota as the training unit with Whiteman AFB, Dyess AFB as their main bases. Congress was informed by Darlene Costello, in June 2021, where she is the acting air force Assistant Secretary. She added that the two units will be tested for airworthiness.
Making public the new image of the B-21 Raider will be the focus of the USAF introducing its newest bomber, as a demonstration of the technological lead enjoyed by the US for now.
